Honey, You're a Billionaire?

Albeit momentarily startled, Rose suppressed her uneasiness and asked, "Could you tell me where you saw her?"

The man pointed toward the hill. "There. A pretty girl about your height seemed to have twisted her ankle. She just sat there silently," he spoke with certainty.

Rose quickly thanked him. "Thank you so much." The man didn't respond to her and simply closed his eyes to resume his rest.

She headed in the direction the man had pointed in and went up the stairs. On her way, she paid attention to the areas around the trees so she wouldn't miss Harriette. Moments after Rose left, the man resting in the pavilion opened his eyes once again and trailed after her. Meanwhile, the other man...

Since Rose entered the pavilion, Elijah Xanth had been dazed by her eyes and kept staring at her. A voice in his head repeatedly told him, "This girl... looks just like her!"

Naturally, he didn't hear a word Rose said and dazedly watched as she left the pavilion and ascended the hill. Filled with countless questions, he wanted to follow her but found that his limbs had gone weak. He couldn't stand up.

It wasn't until he noticed the murderous intent of that man leaving the pavilion that Elijah realized something. As if motivated with a force, he stood and trailed after them.

...

"Etta?" Rose had walked a distance, but her search for Harriette remained fruitless.

She continued calling Harriette's name as she searched for her. When she arrived at another branching path, a voice behind her halted her steps.

"Stop calling for her."

The man's voice sounded unkind. When she turned around, she realized it was the man who had given her directions earlier. Instantly, she knew Harriette wasn't around. But this man... "What do you want?" Rose shot him a hostile look.

Kevin Baker studied her body and scoffed. "What do you think I want when I run into a pretty lady in the wild?"

She frowned. No matter what, Aurora Crest was situated in Regalia, where modern laws existed. She didn't believe this man intended to assault her in the spur of the moment.

"Aren't you afraid of the police or the law?" Rose quickly examined Kevin and believed she could handle him.

Suddenly, another figure entered her vision. She saw from the corner of her eye that it was the middle-aged man from the pavilion.

Just as Rose presumed they were accomplices, Elijah made a shushing gesture at her. Instantly, she understood she needed to keep Kevin unaware of his presence.

Thankfully, the stone path was free from leaves, making it easy for Elijah to keep his steps quiet and presence unannounced.

"Afraid? Why would I be?" Kevin's tone suggested otherwise. He seemed to be a lawless lunatic, or perhaps... he was someone who knew he could escape even if he committed unlawful acts.

Rose watched as Elijah slowly inched toward them. Then, she feigned terror. "You want money, don't you? Here you go. You can take as much as you want. Just let me go!" "Money?" Kevin chortled coldly. "Sorry to break it to you, but what I want is " Then, he gasped, not being able to finish his words, and felt a searing pain in his head.

A hiking stick had struck the back of his head. His piercing cries echoed throughout the forest, startling countless birds into flight.

However, that strike wasn't enough to knock him out. Instead, he suppressed the pain and recognized Elijah from the pavilion. "You..." Kevin glared ferociously at Elijah, full of murder intent.

Before he could do anything, Rose picked up a rock from the ground and bashed him just like Elijah had.

Kevin staggered slightly. It seemed

like he hadn't expected her to strike back. He tried to turn around but was attacked halfway, causing him to wobble slightly and fall to the ground. en FindNovel

The air descended into an eerie quietness. Still shaken by the ordeal, Rose watched Kevin lay on the ground and wanted to check if he was still alive. However, Elijah was a step ahead of her. "Not dead." He skillfully checked Kevin's breathing and seemed quick on his feet despite being in his 50s.

Then, he turned Kevin over and checked the injury on his head. "He's knocked out, but the injury isn't fatal. About time we put him to sleep." Elijah rose and was prepared to leave when he saw Rose motionless. He turned to her and asked, "Aren't you coming?"

She snapped back to reality. "Yeah. Of course."

met

Rose followed him behind. After settling her emotions, she slowly examined the middle-aged man before her. He was tall, dressed sportswear, and carried a hiking stick. He walked with steady and solid steps.

"About earlier... Thanks a lot for your help." Rose expressed her gratitude when arriving at the pavilion.

When Elijah looked at her again, he

had suppressed the initial emotions from when he first saw her. "No problem. Why are you searching for someone here, missy?"

Rose thought of Harriette. "One of our fellow hikers got lost. My brother and I split up to search for her."Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

"Your brother?" Elijah knitted his brows. "What's your name?"

"My name is Rose Shaffer!" She had thoroughly let her guard down.

Although he seemed strange when Rose first approached him, his reaction felt harmless. Especially after the episode earlier, Rose felt that he was a good guy. "Rose..." Elijah's expression shifted, and he murmured strangely, "Rosie..."

Rose took in his unusual reaction. Amid her confusion, he looked at her with a warm smile. "If I had a daughter, she'd be named Rosie too."

That explained his reaction, but...

"What do you mean 'if'?" asked Rose.

Elijah averted his gaze and recalled the past. "My wife and I had a promise. If we had a baby girl, we'd call her Rose."

So that was why. Somehow, Rose could feel the love between him and his wife. "Where's your wife, then? Is she here with you?" she casually asked. However, upon seeing his stiff expression, Rose instantly realized she had asked the wrong question. After a fleeting moment, his face softened. Then, Elijah laughed, possibly detecting her embarrassment. "We have been separated for many years. I've long gotten used to it.

"It was my fault for not keeping her by my side back then. When I tried to look for her again, it was too late."